Everyone is aware that tequila is obtained from the blue agave (Agave tequilana) by means of the fermentation and distillation of the extracted sap.
The blue agave (Agave tequilana) is a perennial plant of arid zones. Physically, it is formed by thin, almost flat leafstalks. The most important elements that form the plant are the fibers, sugars, mineral salts and water. Around the core of the agave are the leafstalks, which are the stems of the leaves. The natural sap accumulates in the center of the heart and has a high fructose content and a high content of other vitamins in addition to fatty particles that give it its distinctive flavor and smell.
Under optimum conditions of maturity of the plant, it has a high sugar content, which is a basic ingredient for producing tequila and other agave-derived products.
After the agave has reached full maturity, core removal takes place, this being the term given to the action of obtaining the agave heart, since only the central part, commonly known as the plant core, heart or head, of the agave is used, which part will hereinafter be called the heart, where the greater quantity of sugars is concentrated.
In the course of core removal, the agave is cut by a core remover, who is a skilled person essential to the production of tequila, since it is on his knowledge that the quality of the distillates often depends. The core remover uses different tools, each with a precise role to play in the work that culminates in the extraction of the hearts, which is the raw material from which tequila will be prepared. In the course of core removal, the tool known as the “coa” is used, this tool being a long handle with an extremely sharp semicircular tip for cutting and removing the agave leaves or leafstalks, leaving only the pithy interior, which is removed from the soil, with the root being removed in order to leave the heart. Depending on age, on the type of agave and on the form of the cut, the heart may weigh as much as one hundred or more kilos. Agave hearts are gathered and transported to distilleries.
However, the core-removal task is a time-consuming, meticulous and wearisome operation for the core remover, resulting in low production, increased time required for harvesting the hearts, higher production costs, the need for more manpower, etc., which restricts the capacity for production of tequila and other agave derivatives required by industry.
Given the aforesaid, a machine that enables this task to be carried out would solve the above-mentioned problems and drawbacks in said task.
A prior art search revealed Mexican patent MX 243917 by Emil Georg Hoell et al., the proprietor of which is the Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design, Jalisco State, A. C., which was filed on Nov. 15, 2001, and granted on Dec. 26, 2006, and which protects an agave harvesting and core-removal machine basically comprising 3 principal elements, namely a fork, an inclined conveyor with mechanically articulated drivers, and a rotating drum with blades that may be coupled to a conventional tractor or form part of a standalone vehicle. Wherein the fork which is formed by two horizontal arms ending in a tip, which for the functioning thereof are joined to the opposite end by means of a supporting base. Between the arms and the base is the cutting element, which may be formed by fixed blades, a band saw, shears or a disk with blades. The lower part of the fork sliding on the ground is provided with a wear plate. This entire element is coupled to the tractor by means of the adapter.
The inclined chain conveyor is provided with mechanically articulated drivers, which are of comb type in order that they may be aligned with the chains on their return, adopting different positions along the length thereof. The position of these drivers is determined by the pivot that slides on a guide along the path of the chains, which are actuated by means of sprockets driven by a hydraulic motor.
The harvester further comprises a squirrel-cage-type drum, a set of fixed cutters mounted on a helical structure traversing the interior body of the drum and another drum set. The rotating drum, together with the elements thereof, is installed inside, supported by wheels secured to the structure on which the drum rotates. These structures may be inclined in a range of from 15 to 45 degrees, allowing a change in the residence time required for the agave inside the rotating drum in order to obtain the desired core-removal results. The drum has an independent power system. Wherein all the elements are on a trailer coupled to the tractor.
However, said machine is a complex machine that operates such that the fork has to run level with the ground, causing the agave plants to pass between the horizontal arms ending in a tip and at the joining end of said arms there are cutting blades, i.e. cutting takes place by exerting pressure as the machine advances. A lower wear plate is needed since the fork has to run by dragging over the soil. As the agave plant is cut at the base it has to be carried by the conveyor in order to convey the agave plant and to deposit it inside the cage-type drum that has cutters that cut the leaves or leafstalks of the agave plant. This furthermore represents an obstruction problem, since the leafstalks or leaves that are cut have to exit via the openings in the drum that comprises rings, leaving small grooves that prevent satisfactory exit of the leafstalks of the agave, which renders core removal problematic.
The technical modernization of the agricultural sector requires the development and innovation of new machinery and equipment that makes it possible to solve significant technical problems within the sector, which translates into greater profitability and, above all, greater productivity and agricultural production of various crops, and higher profitability in the industry that utilizes agricultural produce.
The need for a practical machine that, on the one hand, allows the leafstalks of the agave plants to be cut off and the plants prepared for core removal with another machine is more than obvious, given the problem of implementing this practice manually using the traditional core-removal method.
The present invention offers a machine that makes it possible to perform this operation in a rapid, practical and functional manner, undoubtedly offering technical advantages in the agricultural sector and also in the industrial sector that processes the agave plant.